A mandala
(MAHN-duh-lah) is a symbol* of the universe.
It is a diagram whose colors, lines, and forms all have meaning. In the
Buddhist religion, mandalas are used in sacred ceremonies and meditation,
to help people on their journey toward spiritual enlightenment. Mandalas
have been made since ancient times. They can be painted on cloth or carved
or, like this one, created from sand.

This mandala
is dedicated to the deity Yamantaka, Conqueror of Death, and represents
his celestial palace. A meditating Buddhist proceeds from the outer rim
inward, moving from the earthly world to various levels of spiritual growth
and knowledge. The ultimate goal is to attain total enlightenment, or
nirvana, at the center. There Yamantaka is represented by the blue vajra
(VAHJ-rah), or thunderbolt, symbolizing compassion. In
the mandalas outer corners, symbols of the five senses are reminders
that true knowledge comes through spiritual enlightenment, not from our
fleeting perceptions. Smell is represented by a perfumed elixir bubbling
up from a conch shell (upper left). A lute (lower left) stands for hearing,
and a blue disc mirror (lower right) for vision. Peaches (upper right)
symbolize taste. A flowing silk scarf, for touch, appears in all four
corners. The
circular rims outermost ring, representing the earthly world, shows
eight burial grounds with images of suffering and decay: skeletons, floating
limbs, scavenging animals, trees, mountains, and burial mounds called
stupas, symbolic of the Buddhas
life and teaching. Next comes a circle of flames in a rainbow pattern
of bright colors, then a ring of vajras, and finally a band of lotus petals,
signifying spiritual purity and representing various deities. Now we encounter
the square walls of Yamantakas palace, with gates at the four compass
points. The palace is filled with symbols, including masked guardians,
umbrellas, jewel trees, wheels, and deer. Within the innermost square,
which is divided into triangular quadrants, is a circle containing symbols
of nine Buddhist deities, with Yamantaka at the center. This is the realm
of perfect enlightenment. All
mandalas represent an invitation to enter the Buddhas awakened mind.
Tibetan Buddhists believe that in each persons mind there is a seed
of enlightenment that can be discovered by contemplating a mandala. The
mandalas design denotes the order and harmony of an enlightened
mind. Order is shown through symmetrical
organization, tight structure, and the use of >geometric
forms such as the square and the circle. The complex symbols and calculated
combination of primary colors express
the principles of wisdom and compassion that underlie Tantric Buddhist
philosophy.

*Terms
defined in the Glossary appear in bold type in the text

Tantric
Buddhism

Tantric Buddhism
is the religion of Tibet. "The roof of the world," where clouds
float on the ground, the land of Tibet is located in the Himalayas, a
remote mountainous region of
South Asia that includes Mount Everest, the worlds highest mountain.
The rugged geography and relative isolation have shaped the economy, religion,
and art of the Tibetan people. The art of Himalayan cultures is primarily
religious, and the process of image making is considered an act of devotion.

Buddhism was
brought to Tibet about a.d. 700 by monks from India. It is based on the
spiritual teachings of the Buddha, an Indian philosopher and teacher who
devoted his life to a search for personal peace or enlightenment. He believed
that by giving up material possessions and worldly desires, such as fine
food and clothing, a person could attain enlightenment, or nirvana, a
blissful state of freedom from the sorrows of the world. These
ideas took hold in Tibet and blended with the native Tibetan religion
called Bon. The resulting Tantric Buddhism has influenced all aspects
of Tibetan daily life and culture.

Technique

Tibetan monks
from the Gyuto Tantric University in northern India created this sand
mandala
at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After a ceremonial blessing, the
monks began the process of making the mandala. First they drew an outline
of the design on a wooden platform. Then, using metal funnels and various
tools, they poured, sprinkled, and arranged millions of grains of colored
sand in a complex design. The work took almost four weeks.

Traditionally,
when a mandala sand painting is finished, it is swept up and deposited
in the nearest body of flowing water, as a metaphor of lifes impermanence.
But through a unique collaboration between the monks and scientists from
the 3M company, this sand mandala became the first in the world to be
preserved for future generations.

Because the
crushed limestone typically used for sand mandalas will not hold colors
permanently, the 3M scientists had to find a substitute. They searched
for particles and pigments that would meet the monks requirements
yet remain colorfast and withstand the application of an adhesive. They
discovered that the silicate particles used in asphalt shingles filled
the bill. Fine enough for making detailed designs, these particles could
be permanently pigmented in colors acceptable to the monks. After the
monks finished their work and blessed the mandala, a special 3M adhesive
was applied, first as a mechanically controlled mist and then with an
eyedropper, for the three-dimensional areas. Now the mandala hangs on
the museums wall, its delicate design still intact and the colors
pristine.

The
Artists

The Buddhist
monks who made this mandala spent a month in residence in Minneapolis
and invited the public to watch them work. They had a mission. They wanted
to educate people about their rich heritage and culture and about their
plight since China established Communist rule in Tibet in the 1950s. The
Dalai Lama, Tibets temporal and spiritual ruler, fled to India in
1959, and many Tibetan monastic groups joined him in exile there. During
Chinas Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of
Tibets magnificent monasteries and temples were destroyed. Approximately
1.6 million Tibetans were killed or
imprisoned in labor camps, and many were driven into permanent exile.
The monks Minneapolis visit also called attention to a resettlement
program that brought many Tibetan refugees to Minnesota.

Look,
Discuss, Explore

Look

What is
this mandala made of? List all the different colors of sand you would
need to make this mandala. Where do you see primary colors? secondary colors? complementary colors? Where do you see patterns?
How are the patterns formed?

What shapes
do you see? Are they geometric or organic?
How are they arranged? Describe the kinds of lines that you see in this
mandala. How do the lines, shapes, and colors make you feel?

Does anything
in this mandala remind you of architecture? Point to the architectural
features and describe them.

How do
you think this mandala was made? What tools do you think the artists
used? How long do you think it took? What makes you say that? Do you
think it was difficult to make? Why or why not?

Is the
design of the mandala symmetrical or
asymmetrical? What effect does that
have? Imagine that the design is not symmetrically balanced. What difference
would that make?

Mandalas
help Buddhist monks to meditate. Look at this mandala carefully. What
do you see that would help someone meditate? Think about the color,
line, shape, symmetry, and composition.
The goal of meditation is to reach nirvana, at the center of the mandala.
How does the design draw your attention to the center?

Discuss

This mandala
contains lots of symbols. Many are recognizable
objects. Point out the ones you recognize. What symbols would you use
in your personal diagram of the universe?

What are
the five senses? Where are they represented on the mandala? Why are
they shown in the corners? What symbols would you use for the five senses?

What is
the purpose of making a mandala? What was the goal of the Tibetan monks
who made this one? Think about the qualities of wisdom and compassion
and what they might have to do with this mandala.

At the
center of the mandala is a vajra, a symbol of compassion. Do you think
compassion is important to Buddhists in their quest for enlightenment?
Do you think it is important for all people to show compassion? Why?
Think about times when you have shown compassion and how that affected
other people.

A stupa
is a monument of great significance to Buddhists. Can you think of any
large monuments in the United States? Why do you think people build
such large structures?

Sometimes
making a thing is more important than keeping it around once its
finished. Can you think of some examples? What about sand castles or
ice sculptures? How do you feel when your work is destroyed or gone?

Explore

A mandala
is a diagram symbolizing the universe. In the ancient Sanskrit language
of India, mandala means circle. How are circles important in our universe?
Investigate the use and meaning of the circle in various cultures. One
example is the rose windows of medieval European cathedrals.

After studying
the mandalas design and meaning, do you see any similarities with
other cultural icons such as Native American sand paintings, Japanese
rock gardens, or Northwest Coast totem poles?

Traditionally,
when a sand mandala is finished, it is swept up and ceremonially discarded
in a body of flowing water, to show the impermanence of life. Why do
you think this mandala was preserved? How do you think it was done?
Think of reasons for and against keeping Tibetan religious objects in
museums.

Activities

As noted,
each activity is suitable for one or more of the following:

Elementary

Secondary

Visual
Art

Language
Arts

Science

Social
Studies

Visual
Art

1: Make
a Sand Painting (Elementary, Secondary)

In the Tibetan
sand mandala, brightly colored sand is arranged in a complex design incorporating
symbols that have sacred meaning to practicing
Buddhists. The process of making a mandala is important as an aid to meditation.

Direct the
students to work in groups and make sand paintings using personal symbols.
Provide tubs of uncolored sand and sand in primary
colors(mix powdered tempera with the
sand). The sand paintings can be made in large, shallow cardboard boxes.
Give the students plastic funnels in various sizes, small sticks, straws,
and forks for creating details in the designs. When the sand paintings
are finished, ask the students to explain their symbols to the class.

2: Make
Art Impermanent (Elementary, Secondary)

After the
students have done the "Make a Sand Painting" activity above and have
talked about the symbols in their designs,
have them sweep up and discard the sand, as is the tradition with sand
mandalas.

3: Capture
the Event (Elementary, Secondary, Language Arts)

Have someone
document the "Make a Sand Painting" and "Make Art Impermanent" activities
with a camera or video camera. Ask the students to write a descriptive
paragraph explaining what their symbol
means and how they depicted it.

4: Sense
the Five Senses (Elementary, Secondary)

Through the
five sensessight, hearing, touch, taste, and smellpeople gather
impressions of their environment. Discuss the five senses and how we use
them for pleasure, learning, and survival. Discuss the images used for
them in the sand mandala and their placement in the four corners, outside
the realm of enlightenment.

Have the students
create pictures of the five senses, using images of significance to them.
Point out how in the mandala the monks combined some senses, enabling
them to show all five within the four corners. The students can combine
some of their images too.

Have the students
collect images from magazines and other sources and create a collage of
the five senses.

5: Design
a Monument (Secondary, Science, Social Studies)

Images of
stupasappear
in this mandala. Stupas are Buddhist monuments that in their earliest
form were dome-shaped burial mounds. Because the Buddhas relics
were buried under such mounds, the stupa became a sacred symbol
of the Buddha. Stupas are often surrounded by gateways aligned with the
four cardinal directions. Projecting above the dome is a narrower form,
sometimes covered with tiered umbrellas.

Discuss these
elements and have the students notice how they are depicted in the mandala.
Discuss monuments the students are familiar with. Have the students design
their own buildings, drawing diagrams. When they have finished, discuss
their architectural concepts and how they were represented.

Activities

Language
Arts

1: Write
about an Idealized World (Elementary, Secondary)

The mandala
represents an idealized world that is sacred to Buddhism. Ask the students
to write about their own idealized world, describing their "place apart"
from the everyday world. It may be an imaginary place or a favorite place
such as the piano bench, the pitchers mound, the end of the dock,
a special reading chair, or a spot where they are at one with nature.
They might write a poem, a childrens story, or a personal narrative.

Lead the students
in a discussion of idealized or imaginary worlds they have encountered
in literature.

Suggested
Literature

Books:

Black Elk
Speaks, by Black Elk

Brave New
World, by Aldous Huxley

Ishmael, by
Daniel Quinn

The Lion,
the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis

Lorax, by
Dr. Seuss

Paradise,
by Toni Morrison

Walden, by
Henry David Thoreau

Poetry:

"Eldorado,"
by Edgar Allan Poe

"The Lake
Isle of Innisfree," by William Butler Yeats

Songs:

"Imagine,"
by John Lennon

"Woodstock,"
by Joni Mitchell

Movies:

The Wizard
of Oz

What are people
really looking for when they go to Innisfree or Woodstock? Do idealized
worlds exist? If so, where do you find them? What images (e.g., gold,
gardens, sun) suggest an idealized world? The students could create a
mandala using >symbols of an idealized
world.

3: Study
the Quest in Literature (Elementary, Secondary, Visual Arts)

A discussion
of the quest as a theme in literature can focus on any number of ancient
and modern heroes, such as Sir Gawain, Dorothy of Oz, Luke Skywalker in
Star Wars, Moses, or Buddha. Have the students read a quest story. Then
have them discuss the various symbols
in the story and design a mandala based on the heros journey.

4: Write
about Your Quest

Making and
meditating on a sand mandala requires great skill, discipline, and patience
as well as commitment to a goal. Discuss these qualities with the students,
noting that Buddhist monks believe that by disciplining their minds and
remaining focused they will gain awareness and enlightenment. Have the
students write an essay about goals of their ownachievements in
sports, music, or school, for examplethat require discipline, skill,
patience, and concentration. How are those qualities useful to them? What
rewards come from such commitment and hard work?

The careful
arrangement of the various design elements contributes to the mandalas
function as an aid to meditation and to attaining enlightenment. Use the
mandala to introduce the concepts of symmetry
and asymmetry. Talk about how the orderly
arrangement of geometric
and organic shapes and primary,
secondary, and complementary
colors creates balance in the mandalas
composition.

2: Work
with Quadrants (Elementary, Secondary, Visual Arts)

The palace
in the sand mandala is divided into quadrants, each with a gate facing
one of the four directions and watched by a masked guardian. Divide the
students into groups of four. Give each group a large square of drawing
paper marked off in quadrants. Tell them to use their imaginations, and
ask each student to create a palace gate on one of the quadrants. When
they have finished, discuss the overall effect of each groups drawings
and how the gates work together.

3: Make
Art with Geometry (Elementary, Secondary, Visual Arts)

Have the students
use drawing tools, such as a compass, T square, and ruler, to make geometric
shapes for a diagram. Find ideas for subject matter in the other activities.

Activities

Performing
Arts

1: Listen
to Monks Chanting (Elementary, Secondary)

Play the video
Yamantaka Mandala: The Creation of a Sand Painting for your students.
Tibetan monks believe that vocal and instrumental sacred music helps their
journey to spiritual enlightenment. Have the students describe the sounds
they hear. What are the voices like? How many voices are there? What is
the tempo? What instruments do they hear? What mood does the music create?

Discuss the
following terms:

Bass--A low
tone. Tibetan monks are known for their sustained chanting over an extremely
low tone. Training for this technique begins in childhood.

Pedal point--A
low tone that continues while other music is played or sung above it.

Tempo Pace--In
chanting, the slower the tempo, the more important the occasion.

Unison--Sung
together as one voice. The choral chant of Buddhist monks is sung in unison
over a pedal point.

2: Listen
and Look (Secondary, Visual Arts)

Have the students
look at the poster of the mandala as they listen to the monks chant during
the blessings before and after the mandalas creation. Does the music
have anything in common with the visual qualities of the mandala? Is the
music conducive to meditation? Why?

3: Select
Your Own Music (Elementary, Secondary, Visual Arts)

Have the students
think about an activity important to them that requires special concentration.
Then discuss what music they would select to listen to before, during,
or after they engaged in that activity.

Suggested
Music and Sources

The New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Edited by Stanley Sadie. London and
Washington, D.C.: Macmillan, 1980.

World Sounds:
Buddhist Chant I. Namgyal Monastery, Dharmalala. JVC VICG-5039-2. CD of
Buddhist chant and instruments in a ceremony for the goddess Paldenlhamo.

Yamantaka
Mandala: The Creation of a Sand Painting. The Minneapolis Institute of
Arts, 1992. A short video on the process of creating the mandala, which
includes examples of Buddhist chant. Also available on-line.

Thanks to
the efforts of scientists at the 3M company, The Minneapolis Institute
of Arts was able to preserve the sand mandala for future generations.
Discuss with your students the issues involved in preserving such a work.
Talk about the unique collaboration of a museum, scientists, and Tibetan
monks. Consider the tradition of an impermanent artform versus a desire
to educate the public and build understanding. Think of permanent and
impermanent materials that we encounter in everyday life. Ask the students
if they try to preserve thingsfor instance, old photographs, recordings,
or videotapes.

2: Be Inventive
(Elementary, Secondary)

Scientists
from 3M discovered suitable sand particles and special adhesives that
made it possible to preserve the sand mandala. Ask the students to consider
what new scientific discovery might be useful to them in their lives.
Have them watch for new inventions in the newspapers, on television, and
on the Internet.

Activities

Social
Studies

1: Play
"I Spy" (Elementary, Visual Arts)

can be found throughout the sand mandala. Look for the following and discuss
their meaning.

Conch shell--Voice
of Buddha expounding the doctrine

Jewel tree--Good
fortune

Lotus--Spiritual
purity

Vajra (thunderbolt)--Compassion

Wheel--Buddhist
Law

Wheel with
deer--Buddhas first sermon, delivered in a deer park

2: Create
a "Wheel of the Law" (Secondary, Visual Arts)

The eight
spokes of the Wheel of the Law represent Buddhisms Eightfold Path:
Right Views, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood,
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Discuss whether
these could be universal rules of behavior for people who are not Buddhists.
Have the students design a wheel with spokes representing their own laws.

3: Symbolize
Your World View (Elementary, Secondary, Visual Arts)

Have the students
create a diagram using symbols to represent their values and view of life.
Ask them to include images, geometric forms, and architectural structures.
They could use images from home, family, community, school, sports activities,
religion, nature, and other areas of personal interest. Ask: What values
do you hold? What goals do you strive for? How would you represent them?

4: Explore
Tibet (Elementary, Secondary, Visual Arts)

Have the students
research the geography of Tibet. Provide maps. Have them search the Internet.
Discuss the role that geography and climate might play in religious practices
and beliefs. (Elementary, Secondary)

Make a topographical
relief map of Tibet using clay or dough on plywood or Masonite. Designate
certain colors for the plateaus, plains, rivers, and major cities. (Elementary,
Visual Arts)

Buddhism began
in India and spread to other countries. Create a map of Asia showing where
Buddhism began and where it spread. (Secondary)

Create a travel
brochure for Tibet, advertising the climate and geography. (Secondary)

Prepare a
report on the life and education of a Buddhist monk. (Secondary)

5: Discuss,
Consider, Debate (Secondary)

Ask the students
to research the history of Buddhism in Tibet. What happened when China
invaded Tibet in 1950? What occurred during the uprising of 1959? How
did Chinas Cultural Revolution of 196676 affect Tibet? How
did the Tibetan Buddhists respond to their oppressors? The Dalai Lama,
the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1989 for his commitment to nonviolence and world peace. Discuss
how nonviolence relates to Buddhist ideas.

Suggested
Reading

Buddhist Beliefs
and Cultures. Anita Ganeri. New York: Childrens Press, 1996. An
introduction to Buddhism, describing its origins and traditions.

Jataka Tales:
Fables from the Buddha. Edited by Nancy DeRoin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1975. A beautifully illustrated, modernized version of the ancient
Jataka folktales, which have been likened to Aesops Fables. Animals
speak and act like humans in situations with moral lessons. The Jataka
tales point to cooperation, understanding, creativity, and wisdom as important
values in life.

Learning from
the Dalai Lama: Secrets of the Wheel of Time. Karen Pandell with Barry
Bryant. New York: Dutton Childrens Books, 1995. Excellent photographs
show the steps in making and dismantling a sand mandala.

Glossary
of Art Terms

Asymmetrical--Arranged
in such a way that division into mirror-image halves is not possible.

Balance--Stability
and equilibrium achieved through the placement of elements such as form,
line, and color.

Complementary
colors--Color pairs that exhibit maximum contrast. They are opposite
each other on the color wheel (red and green) and when placed side by
side appear intensified. Also called contrasting colors.

Composition--The
organization and structure of a work of art, determined by the arrangement
of shapes, forms, colors, etc.

Geometric--Having
an outline composed of straight lines or simple curves, as a square, triangle,
or circle.

Organic--Having
curving or irregular contours like those of forms found in nature.

Pattern--An
artistic or decorative design, often involving regular repetition of shapes
or colors.

Primary
colors--Red, yellow, and blue. The fundamental colors from which all
other colors are made.

Secondary
colors--Orange, violet, and green. Made by mixing equal amounts of
two primary colors.